The present invention relates to a bottle insert for sealing between a reservoir assembly and an applicator in a product container, especially such an insert for providing a noncylindrical wiping action over a comb type applicator tip. Bottle inserts are utilized in reservoir assemblies containing products for a wide variety of purposes, such as cosmetics, paint, glue, or medicine and these products can be in many different forms, such as liquid, gel, or compressed powder. The applicator is detachably joined to the reservoir assembly with the bottle insert providing a seal to preclude leakage of the product therebetween. A tip extends from the applicator on a shaft to contact the product within the reservoir assembly. As the applicator is withdrawn from the reservoir assembly to dispense the product, the bottle insert provides a wiping action thereover in most product containers.
Many bottle inserts having compressible sealing rims are known in the prior art. However, such rims can be squeezed from the sealing interface within the product container when the reservoir assembly and applicator thereof are joined with excessive pressure. Because leaks are likely to develop at each void where the rim is squeezed from the sealing interface, problems have been encountered with product containers utilizing such inserts.
The wiping action of the bottle insert removes excess product from the applicator and controls the amount of product that is dispensed on the tip thereof. Many different types of applicator tips are known and although most of these types require a cylindrical wiping action, some require a noncylindrical wiping action. Applicator tips which require a cylindrical wipe include those having bristles arranged either radially or longitudinally from the applicator shaft, those having only grooves in the shaft, those utilizing either felt or cellular materials and those having a combination of such bristles, grooves and felt or cellular materials. The most commonly used applicator tip which requires a noncylindrical wipe is the type having a number of rigid combs disposed along the applicator shaft with teeth extending radially therefrom on each comb. Because the product is only dispensed from between the teeth on each comb of this tip, it is necessary to wipe across each comb and between all adjacent combs.
A cylindrical wipe is generally applied by a wiping diaphragm which has a centrally located aperture and which flexes to expand the aperture in exerting radial forces of equal magnitude around the applicator tip. The noncylindrical wipe over the comb type tip is generally applied by a wiping diaphragm which has slits extending therethrough in a radial direction from a centrally located aperture therein and on which separate portions flex between adjacent combs when the combs are passed through the slits. Because the structural and functional characteristics of these wiping diaphragms are very different, no bottle insert has yet been devised for adapting to provide either the cylindrical or noncylindrical wipe corresponding with the type of applicator tip that is selected for use in the product container. Furthermore, many difficulties are encountered with the bottle inserts known in prior art for providing the noncylindrical wipe over comb type tips. These difficulties arise mainly because the desired wiping action is only attained when the combs have been aligned to pass through the slits of the wiping diaphragm. Since the slits are visually inaccessible on the wiping diaphragm in the direction of applicator withdrawal from the product container, such alignment is accomplished only by turning the applicator while applying a force thereto in the direction of withdraw. If too much force is applied, the combs do not pass through the slits and a poor wiping action results. Damage also occurs to the wiping diaphragm from repeatedly passing the applicator therethrough with the combs misaligned from the slits.